Hundreds joined Kelly Turner’s parents, family and friends to pay tribute at her funeral at St Mary’s Church in Dover today.

Kelly’s parents Martin and Linda spoke touchingly about their daughter, who passed away on November 6, following a two-year battle with a rare cancer.

During the service, Martin described Kelly as ‘the life and soul of the party of life’ and who was ‘above all, artistic and fun loving’.

Mum Linda spoke of Kelly’s strength in facing her struggles and how her Christian faith gave her courage.

Kelly's parents Linda and Martin look on as her coffin is carried into the church

“Since her awful diagnosis, Kelly was determined to get on with everyday life,” she said.

“Her Christian faith was so very important to her.

“It was something Kelly and I discussed frequently, so she was not frightened of leaving this world and going to Heaven, although she said she would rather stay with us.

“She was very much looking forward to becoming a radiographer. In this she would be able to combine helping others with her love of technology.”

"Love you Kelly, always."

Martin thanked the people of Dover for coming together in raising more than £600,000 in order to try to pay for Kelly to have treatment in America, which will now go towards cancer research, saying the family owe ‘a huge debt of gratitude to the people of Dover, Deal and those all over the world.’

He talked of how he and Linda had sang ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ to Kelly every night until she was 10 years old and finished his send-off with the words:

“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, Love you Kelly, always.”

Martin and Linda had requested that people wear bright clothes in celebration of Kelly’s love of bright colours and hundreds of brightly dressed people lined the street outside the church before the funeral.

Loud speakers were set up to allow the many outside St Mary’s to listen to the service and they played Heather Small’s Proud as Kelly’s colourfully patterned coffin was carried inside.

Kelly's brightly coloured coffin

'A force of nature in her own right'

During the service, poems were read out by Angie, a friend of the family, and Emmy, one of Kelly’s fellow patients at Royal Marsden Hospital.

Angie said: ‘Wherever you go whatever you do, Remember our love will always be with you’

Emmy, who wrote her poem to ‘the first friend she made in Marsden’ recognised Kelly’s spirit and the hold she made on those who knew her.

She called Kelly 'a force of nature in her own right', someone who ‘is still alive in all our hearts, finishing with the promise: ‘Kelly will always be my friend. She will always be a big part of my life’.

Lengthy applause followed the two poems before John Ashman got up to say a few words.

John had taken on a range of challenges to raise money for Kelly, including spending a week on Dover’s street.

He pointed out how Kelly’s caring nature meant that even with her own problems, she was worried about him and asked him to stop doing the challenges.

“Kelly inspired this old man to look differently about how I lived my life,” he said.

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Tributes to heroic Kelly Turner

'A legacy of pure love'

Richard Esdale, friend of the family, gave another touching tribute to ‘Dover’s very own angel’ and the huge effect she has had on many in the town.

“Many people have left behind a legacy of change but very few have left behind a legacy of pure love,” he said.

Part of the motorcycle honour guard which accompanied Kelly's coffin

“All of the people here today know the legacy she left behind.”

He recalled the sadness felt by many who had recorded a charity single for Kelly, knowing the reason they were raising money. But he added that Kelly’s infectious joy helped raise the spirits of those who saw her.

He said: “It was extremely difficult for everyone who gave up their time to step up but the moment Kelly, Martin and Linda walked in, Kelly made us feel upbeat.”

'A sense of compassion and generosity'

Reverend Gordon Newton, a friend of Martin and Linda who oversaw the service, called for applause ‘for what we have done together’ and spoke of the sadness Kelly’s loss means to those around her and the inspiration she has been to so many.

He said: “We come to this service with a deep sadness in our hearts.

“Her death means there is an empty space in the hearts of all of us. It is Linda and Martin of course who have the biggest loss. Our words cannot express our sorrow.

“We are sad but along with our sadness there is a huge amount of gratitude as well.”

As Kelly’s coffin was driven from the church, the hearse was joined by an honour guard of motorcycles and scooters driven by bikers who had gone on ride-outs for Kelly.

The cross at St Mary's Church

Hundreds of people on each side of the road applauded as she passed, proving the truth of the reverend’s words when he said: “Kelly has shown us that it is not the amount of time that someone is alive but what they do while alive.

“Kelly has taught us how to have a can-do attitude.

“She has drawn out of us a sense of compassion and generosity and the sense that we are a community, not just people who live on the roads next to each other.

“If you commit to that spirit then the life of this town will never be the same.”

To donate to the Kelly Turner foundation and help raise fund to research chemotherapy for desmoplastic small round cell tumours, go to the Just Giving page.